Black Spire III: A Twisted King

Second Alkerathi Empire

The second Empire of Alkerath arose in 809 according to the Dwarven calendar. The human calendar begins this year, with the first year of the reign of Empress Alice.

After the final death of the dragon Razethar, a new era began in the era of Mankind. Ironically, the work done by Razethar’s former ally Narackamus greatly simplified the process of spreading peace throughout the region, and soon many petty kings swore fealty to the new Empress. The southern nomadic tribes remained the one difficulty, as fealty to the religion of death established by Narackamus still remained. To this end, one of Empress Alice’s first tasks was to set out on a crusade to exterminate worship of the undead in the South.

The war was long-lasting. Nevertheless, the Empress had time to marry a consort and produce two heirs: Prince Alphonse and Princess Alanis. These were set in charge of the more peaceful regions in the West and North, respectively.

As the wars in the South began to wind down and trouble settled elsewhere, the Alkerathi Empire enjoyed a brief period of respite before trouble began again. When the Orcs intensified their raiding in the West in 853, they became a thorn in the side of Prince Alphonse, who refused aid from his sister or mother, set on proving his own worth as a warrior. The proud Prince spent five years on the fronts before the full invasion of an Orcish Empire caught everyone by complete surprise. Prince Alphonse’s front was completely shattered, and – much to his humiliation – he was saved only by the intervention of Wood Elf forces, who managed to cut off the orcish supply lines and deny them further reinforcement.

Now, the Alkerathi Empire scrambles for war against a mostly-unknown foe in the West.